The Congress of Deputies once again experienced one of those disastrous days this Wednesday that cause citizens to distance themselves from politics. The exchange of recriminations between the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has brought no new developments and has only served to further tarnish the political climate, something that, as some spokespersons have rightly warned, primarily benefits the far-right. In a normal democracy, a verdict like the one in the Ábalos case, in a judicial process that has been suspiciously swift and with sentences that some jurists deem disproportionate, would be enough to bring down a government. But it is true that Spain has peculiarities that explain both Pedro Sánchez's resistance to throwing in the towel and why no partner is currently considering supporting a motion of no confidence alongside the PP and Vox.

Let's call a spade a spade: if at any point it is justified to demand the resignation of President Pedro Sánchez, it would be now. The Supreme Court ruling that condemns Ábalos and Koldo leaves the president in a compromised situation. Ábalos was the head of a ministry as relevant as Public Works for three years, repeatedly endorsed by the president, he handled the internal plumbing of the socialist party and Sánchez himself had pointed him out as the person to whom he entrusted the day-to-day management. It seems clear that there has been no link between the president and the facts ruled upon. That, therefore, the corruption scheme grew without him receiving any news of what was happening, which opens up questions about the Moncloa control systems. But a head of government is responsible for their actions; for example, for the appointments they make. And even more so when they are of the highest level. Faced with such a scandal – a corruption scheme at the government's highest level orchestrated by someone from the president's immediate circle – Sánchez cannot act as if nothing has happened. Something is wrong when at the highest level of power there is a case of this magnitude and the president finds out when it's too late.

The Supreme Court has issued a ruling against the former minister and former organization secretary of the PSOE, José Luis Ábalos, and his advisor Koldo García, which aims to be exemplary with public officials, with sentences of 24 years and three months for the former and 19 years and 8 months for the latter, but it is suspiciously lenient with the businessman who was the main beneficiary of the scheme, Víctor de Aldama, who has only received 4 and a half years. A sentence that the Court suspends in exchange for community work, arguing that thanks to his collaboration, the depths of the so-called mask case have been reached. In other words, some have sentences comparable to those who have committed murder and will have to spend a minimum of 15 years behind bars, while others, in this case the corrupting businessman, will not have to set foot in prison.

"An organic, organized, and continuous corruption from the highest instances of political power." By unanimous decision, the seven judges of the Supreme Court have upheld the sentence requested by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and have sentenced José Luis Ábalos to 24 years and three months in prison in the first trial of the mask case. The former strongman of Pedro Sánchez for three years in the PSOE and in Moncloa, and who has been in Soto del Real for seven months, has ended up convicted of belonging to a criminal organization, bribery, influence peddling, and embezzlement.

Seen for ruling. The trial of the mask case in the Supreme Court, which began a month ago, has come to an end. It has been the moment for the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the PP – which leads the popular prosecutions – and the three defense teams to verbalize their conclusions. The first to speak was the prosecutor. "The number one was not the president of the Spanish government, as, to Aldama's notable relief, he attributes to him," he said in the initial part of his speech. It was the businessman's new accusation, and prosecutor Alejandro Luzón has distanced himself completely. That said, he has highlighted that José Luis Ábalos was at the "top" or in the "essential cog" of the organization. In his opinion, he, Koldo García, and Víctor de Aldama – along with other individuals – formed a "true criminal organization" that was born from a "corrupting pact that interested everyone" as a result of "insistence" and "little resistance" and that it did not "dissipate and exhaust itself" until Ábalos was dismissed as minister in July 2021.

José Luis Ábalos finally declares this morning in the trial for the mask case before the Supreme Court. The former Minister of Transport, who the judge has kept in preventive detention for almost half a year, appears as an investigated person after two morning sessions in which the court had to modify the initial schedule that set the interrogation of the former socialist leader for last Wednesday.

"A high-profile case judged a long time ago with a clear conviction." This is how José Luis Ábalos has summarized the face mask case, for which he faces a sentence of between 24 and 30 years in prison. The former Minister of Transport, who has been in Soto del Real for five months, has been the last of the accused to testify, after Víctor de Aldama and Koldo García did so last week. The former strongman of Pedro Sánchez in Moncloa and Ferraz testified for almost six hours and, exhibiting meticulous knowledge of the Civil Guard's reports, denied having received money from Aldama: "To say that it was handed to me in person seems gross. I understand why it's being done. I tell you no, and there is absolutely no evidence." He also criticized the Civil Guard's "permanent bias" and denounced a "certain intentionality" throughout the investigation: "I am struck by the eagerness to implicate me and to find something.

In the trial for the Ábalos case, his former advisor at the Ministry of Transport, Koldo García, had to answer this question from the prosecutor: “What are xistorres?” The answer from the man –who faces nineteen years in prison– was what the police suspected: 500 euro banknotes.

Day of revelations and denials at the Supreme Court. After Victor de Aldama's explosive statement, which shot left and right to try to splash Pedro Sánchez and question the PSOE's financing, it is now the turn of Koldo García, who was an advisor to José Luis Ábalos in the Ministry of Transport and for whom the Prosecutor's Office is seeking nineteen and a half years in prison. "Ask me absolutely everything to try to prove my innocence," the prosecutor urged right at the start. And, after five and a half hours, he has resolved one of the great questions of the trial: what are "chistorras"? A Guardia Civil report suspected that it was the code name to refer to 500 euro banknotes. And Koldo García, when questioned by his lawyer, confirmed it, despite the fact that last October, in a couple of television interviews, he stated that the chistorras were "sausages".

Key day in the mask case trial at the Supreme Court. After ten sessions, it is the turn of the declarations of the three defendants: José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García and Víctor de Aldama. The only one who could be interrogated this Wednesday was the businessman and alleged facilitator of the plot, who agreed to collaborate with justice a year and a half ago when he was in preventive detention –"what a invention", replied Pedro Sánchez– and for whom the Prosecutor's Office requests a much lower penalty than for the rest of the defendants. Just as he did at that initial moment of the investigation, he has decided to elaborate, stretch the blanket and point directly to Pedro Sánchez. Without providing evidence and relying solely on his word, he has given meticulous details to try to accredit his privileged access to the spheres of power, has detailed the roadmap of the alleged corruption and has expressed "remorse". "If there is a hierarchy of a criminal organization, Sánchez is in the first echelon", he said. "I was told that the president knew everything", he added in a statement that lasted more than six and a half hours.

One of the questions that the eighth day of the Ábalos case trial has tried to resolve is where the cash bills that José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García had came from. During the investigation, the Civil Guard detected more than 95,000 euros from the former Minister of Transport and former number three of the PSOE without bank tracing. This reinforced the thesis of "the existence of undeclared cash income" and triggered the opening of a separate piece in the National Court on the financing of the PSOE. The investigating judge raised the hypothesis that the PSOE helped Ábalos or Koldo to "launder" money. This Wednesday, in the Supreme Court, two lines of action have become apparent during the testimony of Mariano Moreno, who was the party's manager between 2017 and 2021. First, he assured that Ferraz "never" handed over 100, 200, and 500 euro bills, which are the ones the Civil Guard suspects Koldo and his circle managed – using code names. Later, the lawyer for Ábalos's former advisor, wanting to show that all the money he received was "of legal origin," wanted to highlight possible errors in the documentation that the socialists sent to the courts.

Political life in Madrid is currently unfolding between two scenarios. Firstly, the courts, due to the start of the trials for corruption cases involving the PP and the PSOE. And secondly, in the realm of international relations, concerning everything related to the situation in the Middle East, after a precarious two-week truce was announced, with very uncertain results. These are very diverse issues, which obviously have nothing to do with each other, but which, if followed closely, give a fairly accurate idea of the point at which political forces stand, particularly those of the Popular Party and the Socialists. The start of the trial of the Ábalos-Koldo-Aldama case scheme was, and will continue to be in the coming weeks, a great opportunity for the PP to take advantage of the exhibition of the reprehensible procedures employed by the former Minister of Public Works and former organization secretary of the PSOE, his advisor, and the businessman who did business with them, in relation to public contracts to acquire sanitary material, allegedly violating the law in a tragic context, that of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the missions of the Supreme Court in the first three days of the trial against José Luis Ábalos has been to reconstruct the alleged cronyism of two women close to the then Minister of Transport and former organization secretary of the PSOE. They are Jessica Rodríguez, who was his partner for a year and a half; and Claudia Montes, with whom he maintained a "virtual" relationship. The first has admitted that she was receiving payment without going to work – a total of 44,000 euros at Ineco and Tragsatec–. The second woman claims that she did fulfill her duties at Logirail, although others dispute this. Amidst contradictions and labor disputes, several witnesses have tried to shed light on this this week at the high court. "I had a contract, but I wasn't actively working," Jessica Rodríguez acknowledged on Tuesday. Marino Turiel, José Luis Ábalos' lawyer, suspects there is a hidden agreement between her and Víctor de Aldama: "It is very clear that there is a pact and an agreement".

The key witness in the third session of the trial against José Luis Ábalos was Carmen Pano. And her statement followed the script: as she said at the Audiencia Nacional, during the investigation at the Supreme Court and at the Senate's investigation committee, she reiterated and to the Senate's investigation committee, But there was a second delivery that raises more doubts. Carmen Pano first said that the "operation" was that Claudio Rivas made transfers to her accounts and she withdrew the money in cash. And it wasn't until half an hour later that she admitted that in the second case she didn't directly withdraw the money from the bank, but rather a certain Lolo, a "worker or friend" of Claudio Rivas, brought it to her home. She didn't get to count it, but – in theory – there were also 45,000 euros. She took it back to Aldama's office, but later he called her "quite angry" and told her that 10,000 euros were missing. "Therefore, I deduce that there were 35,000 euros," the businesswoman acknowledged. This is a point that only came to light at the end of her statement, after spending a long time equating the two deliveries and without having mentioned this unforeseen event.

“An agreement that had as its object the future commission of crimes as opportunities to commit them arose”. After a year and a half of investigation, 30 years in prison. On the table will be nine crimes, including membership in a criminal organization, bribery, influence peddling, and embezzlement.

The Supreme Court has taken a decisive step and will try José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García, and Víctor de Aldama within a month for the purchase of medical supplies during the pandemic. The high court unanimously rejected all preliminary motions filed by the former Minister of Transport and his former advisor, who will appear in court starting Tuesday, April 7, the day after the Kitchen case trial begins against Jorge Fernández Díaz and his top officials at the Ministry of the Interior during Mariano Rajoy's administration. Three weeks after the Preliminary view of the masks caseThe Supreme Court has closed the door on one of Ábalos and Koldo's main demands: that the case return to the National Court as a result of the Ábalos resigns from his position as a deputyThe 138-page interlocutory ruling reiterates that once a judge opens oral proceedings against a member of parliament—as happened in December, when Ábalos was still a member—the Supreme Court's jurisdiction is "immune to the loss of protected status" and argues that this is a moment that "cannot be left to chance or depend on the whim or will of the accused." It also maintains that the Supreme Court's 2014 ruling—which the defense teams of Ábalos and Koldo challenged—served to "establish a clear criterion in the face of the confusing legal framework." Koldo and Aldama, who have never held protected status, will also be tried by the Supreme Court due to their "inexplicable material connection" with the events under investigation. Furthermore, the seven Supreme Court justices challenge the defense's pride and warn them that granting their request would have "onerous consequences" for the two defendants, who "would see their case delayed." sine die"The trial. The prosecution." He is asking for 24 years in prison. Ábalos received a 19.5-year sentence, Koldo García a 19.5-year sentence, and Aldama a 7-year sentence. They are accused of five crimes: membership in a criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, influence peddling, and insider trading.

77 days after the Supreme Court will send them to jailJosé Luis Ábalos and Koldo García have temporarily left Soto del Real prison for the preliminary hearing in their trial for the purchase of face masks, which is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. This unprecedented hearing was established under the law on efficiency in the justice system, which came into effect ten months ago. The former number three of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and his former advisor at the Ministry of Transport arrived at the Supreme Court in a Spanish police van at 10:30 a.m., half an hour before the scheduled hearing. The third defendant, Víctor de Aldama, also attended, although he is free and had not made any statements. For the first time, all three appeared together in the dock and faced the seven judges who will preside over their case.

Under investigation for alleged corruption in the Supreme Court, Santos Cerdán presented his defense strategy in the Senate on Wednesday. This comes amid a crisis within the Spanish government. cases piling up in the courtsand a month later to be released on bail from prisonThe former number three of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) appeared before the Koldo case committee in the Senate to once again assert his innocence. Although he invoked his right to remain silent regarding the specific charges against him, he claimed to be the victim of a "persecution worthy of the Inquisition" and linked the investigation to his role in the amnesty law agreement. "I will defend myself; let it be clear, I am innocent, I am not corrupt, and sooner or later you will be able to verify this," he said in an initial statement read from a laptop. The former socialist leader, who spoke with his lawyer, Jacobo Teijelo, before entering the courtroom, denounced the "unfair trial" he has been subjected to, claiming that "no specific crime is being investigated." And in a subsequent response to the senator from the Junts per Catalunya party, Eduard Pujol, he stated that the case against him "would not have exploded" as it did if he hadn't led the negotiations with Junts for Pedro Sánchez's investiture, which culminated in the Brussels agreement. "There is a before and after the photo with Puigdemont [...] Everything changed after that photo," he said.

A reshuffle is underway at the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, instigated by the Spanish government. The Council of Ministers will approve tomorrow the promotion of Colonel Rafael Yuste Arenes to Brigadier General, which will entail his departure as head of the UCO, according to reports. Eldiario.es and government sources confirm to ARA. The UCO is the specialized unit that, among other things, is participating in the investigation of the legal cases surrounding Pedro Sánchez – for example, prepared the report which led to the indictment of Santos Cerdán or accredited that the Attorney General deleted the messages from his mobile phone the day the Supreme Court indicted him—. Rafael Yuste had been in charge of the UCO for two and a half years—he arrived in June 2023 replacing Alfonso López Malo—and has now been promoted after passing the course and ranking first in his class in the evaluation.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo wants general elections to be called in Spain and is taking advantage of the alleged corruption cases plaguing the PSOE and, consequently, the Spanish government, to pressure for them. "Spain is fed up," the PP leader exclaimed this Sunday from the Temple of Debod in Madrid, at the seventh demonstration organized by the People's Party against Pedro Sánchez's government since the start of the legislature. But the key to a general election lies with Sánchez, who has repeatedly stated his intention to serve out his term. That is, to call elections in 2027. For this reason, the PP has been flirting with the idea of a motion of no confidence for days, although it hasn't yet pursued it because the numbers don't add up. Currently, it would only have the support of Vox. And it is in this context that Feijóo looks to the PNV and Junts, whom he challenged this Sunday to "retract": "How much longer will you swallow?" Feijóo asked them. The PP leader accused them of "supporting" the "corruption" of the Spanish government. Before 40,000 demonstrators, according to the Spanish government delegation – 80,000 according to PP sources – Feijóo wanted to make it clear that he is not throwing in the towel with either the PNV or Junts, even though Carles Puigdemont's party once again distanced itself from this scenario.They will help him convince Junts to support a motion.